Southwest charger limits

Southwest is giving travelers 11 days to change how they pack: on April 20, the airline will start limiting each passenger to one lithium-powered portable charger and will bar those chargers from overhead bins. (southwest.com)(support.southwest.com) (usnews.com)(money.usnews.com) That is a sharp break from Southwest’s own posted battery page, which currently says passengers may carry up to 20 spare batteries, including portable chargers, as long as they stay in carry-on bags or on the passenger. (southwest.com)(support.southwest.com) The overhead-bin ban is about access, not convenience. The Federal Aviation Administration said batteries in overhead bins can be obscured, hard to reach, and harder for passengers or crew to monitor if one starts overheating. (faa.gov)(faa.gov) The failure crews worry about is called thermal runaway, which is a chain reaction where a lithium battery’s temperature and pressure keep climbing on their own. The Federal Aviation Administration says a halon extinguisher can knock down flames briefly, but large amounts of water are what cool the battery enough to stop the reaction from spreading cell to cell. (faa.gov)(faa.gov) Portable chargers were already banned from checked bags across United States air travel. The Transportation Security Administration says power banks with lithium-ion batteries must be packed in carry-on bags, and spare lithium batteries are prohibited in checked luggage. (tsa.gov)(tsa.gov) Southwest’s new rule goes one step further than the federal baseline by cutting the number down to one charger per person on that airline. Reuters reported the change on April 7, and Southwest’s help page also says portable chargers used onboard must be visible and not stored in bags. (usnews.com)(money.usnews.com) (southwest.com)(support.southwest.com) The timing lines up with a broader aviation push after more battery incidents. The Federal Aviation Administration recently warned airlines that lithium batteries can start onboard fires, and industry reporting on the agency’s data says 2025 logged more such incidents than 2024. (faa.gov)(faa.gov) (faa.gov)(faa.gov) For passengers, the practical change is simple: a roller bag in the overhead bin is no longer the right place for a backup battery on Southwest. The airline’s baggage page says personal items go under the seat in front of you, so that is the spot that fits the new rule best if you are bringing one charger. (southwest.com)(support.southwest.com) (southwest.com)(support.southwest.com) If you usually travel with a phone charger, a laptop charger, and two battery packs, only one of those battery packs will make it onto a Southwest flight after April 20. The rest of your cords can still travel, but the lithium-powered backup brick is now the item that gets counted. (southwest.com)(support.southwest.com) (usnews.com)(money.usnews.com) That means the checkpoint question is no longer just “carry-on or checked bag.” On Southwest after April 20, it is also “how many power banks do you have, and can you keep the one you bring within reach instead of above your head.” (tsa.gov)(tsa.gov) (southwest.com)(support.southwest.com)